The Beast Must Die
by As Yet Undefined
Summary: Dark Magic takes hold of a select victim of the Great Battle. Peter and his siblings must unravel this mystery before Aslan and all Narnia are destroyed in this twisted saga taken from untold Narnian history...
1. Chapter 1

**The Beast Must Die: Chapter 1**

Ash...

The air was thick with it, it rained down from nowhere like an unearthly snow, mingled with the smoke in the night sky. The air that carried it was heavy with the stenches of burning thatch, pitch, mortar, fur... the air carried not only the ash but the screams of of their owners...the ones who once called things their own, their homes, beds, children, now being reduced to the ashes that filled the air they sreamed into. Ash covered everything, it was blown on the heated air, it dug and burrowed under the young Rawcomine's eyelids...he was blind, but right now sight didn't matter to him...indeed sight could not have helped him now anyway, the night was so dark, illuminated only by the hazy red glow of his torched village. Blinded, but not deaf, he was listening...calling, crying, tears catching in the grey soot that covered his furry face. Still his mother's voice could be heard.

That he could hear the call is a wonder only a mother-son relationship can explain. Above the crackling roar and myriad of screams he heard his mother calling...calling, still screaming his name. "Varco! Varco where are you!"

"Mommy!" Stumbling through the square. He tried to run to the source of the sound, only to stumble on a fountain stoop and fall face first into the murkey water. The water, cooler than the surrounding air, served to wipe away the ashes, robbing the young Racomine of his ash-induced blindness...and his innocence forever.

Standing waist deep in the shallow broken fountain, Varco looked up to see his village ablaze. There went Lystra, his schoolteacher and mentor, sprinting across the square pursued by two giant Horsemen. They flashed their swords with menace and whooped in sadistic ecstasy of the hunt. Varco turned away quickly, only to see his neighbor run into his blazing hut screaming "Gornale! Baby where are you!" the cries lasted only as long as the burning rafters could hold out, and without warning the criesweresmothered bya crash and a shower of sparks. Suddenly, just down the dirt-beaten road toward home, he saw his mother.

Everything suddenly blurred, the warrior cries of "In the name of Aslan and Narnia" and "Kill the Rebels" all faded to a distant garbled chorus as Varco saw his mother staring back at him. Too far to hear what she was saying, he only watched as her lips formed the words "Run! Run Varco!" But Varco was in shock, and numb to the world around him...the carnage surrounding him all melted from his conciousness when he saw his mother...his protector, his guardian, his Mommy. Surely she could make all these bad people go away and stop burning things! His numbed state was broken as he was engulfed in a shadow. He looked up just in time to see a huge Horseman clear the Fountain, sailing right over him through the smoke and ash toward his mother. It's sharp hoof met with Varco's face, and he toppled back down into the muddy ashen water. Quickly gasping his way back to the surface, the sight that met him left him cold...colder than he'd ever been before. Eyes wide, Varco could only watch his mother jump out of the path of the charging horse hooves...into the blade of a swinging scimitar. Her eyes blinked no more, but stayed transfixed on him, her face frozen in concerned terror, her lips forever frozen halfway through the word: "run".

Now the terror around him seemed to engulf and consume his conciousness. Mommy wasn't moving!

"Get up, Mommy! Mommy help! Help me Mommy!"

His cries were drowned out. Drowned out by the crackling of thatch and blazing of rafters, of the screams of his friends and villagers, of the constant chanting of the charging Horsemen "For Aslan and Cair Paravel! Death to Rebels! Death to Rebels! Aslan Wills it!" Death to Rebels!" still, as deaf as they were to that racomine child, just as deaf was he to everything else around him. Numb to the smoke and the heat of the air, numb to the fountain water that soaked him to his waist. Heedless of the terrors that consumed his world still his focus was locked on that frozen unblinking stare.

"Mommy wake up! Mommy! MOMMY!"

"MOMMY! Mommy! Varco woke up screaming. The nightmare passed as quickly as it had started. Once again Varco had to come to terms with his flashback as he was left screaming to himself in the dark. "C'mon Varco, that was so many years ago. It's past, it's past…" Still, he could not stop his pain from welling up inside again...the pitch blackness all around him concealed his tears of rage. Slowly, he wiped the tears away with the back of his paws...and his claws scraped wood. Wood was in front of him, a board lay not two inches from his nose. With a quick twitch of his head his whiskers brushed wood on all sides. He tried to curl up, but kicked a hard rough plank. Slowly, as his eyes adjusted, he saw wood...and nails...the bottom tips of nails...sticking out of the board pointing at him threatningly. Like a tide rising in his chest fear gripped his heart anew. He was sealed in a wooden box...

He'dwoken upinside his own coffin!


	2. Chapter 2

The Beast Must Die: Chapter 2

Instinctively Varco set his paws against the wood and pushed. nothing. The panic in his chest seemed to drain him. He had no adrenaline rush, no extra boost of heroic strength, and even his well hewn warrior's muscles now failed him. With one last heave, he relaxed his arms and set them down at his side in what little space he had.

Thoughts began to flash back to him. As if his mind was shorting out, and memory was returning to him in bursts...there had been a battle...clashing and armor and swords and blood...so much blood. But He'd been there. He'd had time to see the Great Beast Himself...

wait...the Beast was Dead! She'd killed him! but no, he was there just the same...on the battlefield slashing through so many of his comrades...If not for that infernal child with his sword catching me off guard I'd have killed him myself! Curse the Lion! Curse Him! I want his blood! Blood for Blood! I WILL HAVE MY VEANGENCE! Now he felt true power surging through him. Just as fear paralyzed him, now his hate consumed him, empowered him. A deep purplish red glow blazed in his eyes. Dark light throbbed in his chest as he set his claws deep into the coffin lid.

"Aslan...Aslan..." he muttered under his breath as he tore at his wooden prison. now the boards began to give way, cracking and shifting. Each shift sent dirt into his box, falling on his face, into his eyes, up his flaring nostrils. Varco didn't care. The warrior strength for which he'd become famous now mixed with something far more powerful than he'd ever felt before...pure power surged through his veins into his arms and claws. soon the planks nailed over his head were reduced to splinters and dirt began pouring down on him. Smothered in black earth, Varco now began clawing upward. Dirt slowly became mud as he neared the surface, still he clawed and cursed and growled.

"curse the Lion! I want Him!" his claws slashed the roots of grass, and with one more powerful push, Varco's arm shot through the sod into open air. The rest of him followed, and soon he was left panting on the soft Narnian sod. The sod was wet, and rain poured down from a starless night sky. He recognized the field instantly; this was where The Lion had been...and Her Majesty as well! More memories filled his head, dancing and swimming confused and disconnected, but still vivid and raw from their fresh nature. The Queen had promised him vengeance. He fought with her for just a chance to find the Lion again. And she'd delivered on her promise. He was there when they tied the ropes on the stone table. He'd held the hair down while they shaved him. He saw Aslan's blood run till he whimpered no more...but what then? Then who was it he saw on the field? "

How had Aslan done it? How was it still alive? Moreover, what was I doing in a coffin? Where am I?"

As if to answer his confused muddled questions a flash of lightning illuminated the field. In the sharp white flash he saw the now familiar carnage of battle. He saw comrades, friends, broken and cold. and he saw a stone.

Not just any stone, this was standing upright in the middle of the field. Pulling himself up, Varco got to his feet and stumbled toward the large smooth rock. The wet soggy ground proved treacherous, and soon he tripped headlong back into the black wet muck. Back up with a growl, he snatched up a spear from a nearby corpse, and, picking his way along more carefully, he again made his way towards the stone. Perhaps he was too confused to notice at first, but now he suddenly realized he could see almost perfectly despite the lack of stars or moonlight. He also noted as he stumbled along drunkenly that he was able to see the grains in the wood of his coffin while in total darkness...but surely not...only wolves and night creatures could see in the dark, not mere Racomines...it was a sobering realization.

His wonderings were interrupted by his arrival at the stone. Through the driving rain he discerned an inscription, in pitch black, he read aloud to himself:

HERE ON THIS FIELD WAS THE WHITE WITCH SLAIN. HERE ON THIS FIELD WAS THE VALOR OF THE FOUR HUMANS ALSO TESTED. LONG LIVE ASLAN AND THEIR MAJESTIES QUEENS SUSAN AND LUCY, KINGS EDMUND AND PETER.

"So, the Beast got my Queen. Blood for blood, she slays him, he slays her. I will have justice as well. My comrades are dead because of you. My people are dead because of you! Mommy's dead because of you! Curse you Lion! Curse you Aslan! Hide in Cair Paravel! Hide in the four corners of Narnia! I will find you! I will have my vengeance!"

By now his eyes were blazing again, and the deep dark purplish red glow now shown under his tattered and soiled chain mail. His heart began to throb again, and the glow grew more and more intense with each beat, slowly spreading through his body, filling him with an unearthy power. Raising his fist with a warrior's scream he buried his claws into the stone inscription. The stone gave like warm butter, and when the rocks had settled and the scream's echoes had died away, two smaller broken monuments now stood where the one had been.

Feeling now a rush of purpose mingled with pain, he turned his eyes toward Cair Paravel, set along the distance in the rainy horizon. A flash illuminated the field again as Varco slowly rose to his full height, still glaring at the faraway castle. "I don't know how I came back, but now here's one enemy you overlooked, Beast" Varco spat through clenched teeth. And with every mention of that abominable name, the blood red glow burned ever brighter. Varco didn't question the glow or the power it gave him...he simply fed it with his hate, and drew on its power to begin his journey to Cair Paravel.


	3. Chapter 3

THE BEAST MUST DIE: Chapter 3

Block, parry, duck, slash...Peter ran the steps through his mind as the clangs of steel on steel rang through the valley. Sweat trickled down peter's face, matted his hair to his forehead, ran down his neck and his chainmail-covered back. Still, the look of undivided concentration stayed locked on his face...it was here he felt truly at his best form...here everything melted away from conciousness...every care and concern of being a teenager, a king, and a big brother all faded from his mind...all that remained was his sword, his opponent's sword, and the beast of a centaur that wielded it. having matched blow for blow, Peter now took the offensive. urging his horse forward, he hacked into the centaur's space, forcing him back, further back, till he was locked against the edge of the forest and the entire clearing was at Peter's back. The Centaur's horse half, foaming from exertion, brushed the trees and suddenly stopped. Peter's sword met the Centaur's guilded chestplate, and just like that the match was over. Peter stepped back, and pulled off his helmet, his trainer did the same.  
"Excellent work today Peter. Maybe tomorrow I won't go so easy on you"

"Thank you sir, maybe tomorrow you won't die again" Peter said with a grin.

"Point taken indeed, your majesty." The centaur laughed slowly " tomorrow I'll teach you to fight against a two-sworded opponent." Peter knew the Centaurs were legendary for their prowress in two-sworded combat, and this Centaur was indeed a legend. Peter tried to meet this challenge with as much confidence as he could muster

"I look forward to it sir...till then I suppose" and with a kick of his stirrup, Peter set off through the forest. Slowly as his adrenaline died down and his aching arms stopped throbbing, he looked around himself at the greenery around him. Tall evergreen trunks formed a haphazardline of prison bars. Indeed if not for the trail these woods would have been impassable. Suddenly out of nowhere he heard a voice:

"I do suppose you think you won a great victory today, young Son of Adam." The voice seemed to come from nowhere, and Peter stopped his horse quickly and looked around.

"Did you hear that, boy?" Peter asked

"I sure did, Your Majesty" replied the horse

"I must say your skill has improved...though not your wits." came the voice again

"Oh for Narnia's sake! I'm over here!"

Peter looked and there, sitting on a fallen log by the forest trail was a wrinkled old man, his grey locks tumbled out from under a small black hat and settled about his shoulders. He leaned heavily on his staff and stood to face Peter.  
"Nothing in Narnia save the White Witch's Stoning Wand has ever beaten a Centaur in two-sworded combat!"

"Well how can I change that unless I try?" countered Peter. the man's face seemed familiar...almost as if he'd seen it somewhere before.

"Indeed, indeed. Granted it will be an exiting match to watch. Dear me, where are my manners, my name is Manorflaed the Librarian. I am a master of the honoured Wise Arts...I suppose that makes me what you'd call a 'Wizard'...how do you do, your Majesty?

"Very well, thank you" Of course! the Librarian! this was who was always scolding Edmund every time he put the books back in the wrong order! Peter dismounted, still the man barely came up to the golden lion on Peter's shoulder plate. Peter was curious,

"So, what brings you to the middle of the forest? were you watching me fight?"

"I notice you didn't use my name" answered the Manorflaed with a kind smile. "have you forgotten it already?"

"No-...well yes, I'm sorry sir, I'm not that good with names you see. Sorry"

"It's quite alright, young one. My name is not that important these days anyway." a sad look in his eyes momentarily betrayed the smile spread across his face.

"So...the Centaurs...they're a rather famously warlike race in Narnia?" Peter tried to end the awkward silence as the old man snapped back to the present.

"Oh, indeed, indeed. Would you believe young one that the Centaurs were the only race never fully subdued by the Witch's power? In fact, there were those who considered themselves to be the "Right arm of Aslan", though he was nowhere to be found in Narnia in those days. Every time the centaurs got word of Narnians turning to the Witch's side, they took it upon themselves to stop the 'rebels' by any means necessary. They saw it as their sworn duty to keep Narnia loyal no matter what the cost. It's little wonder that when Aslan finally did return he made so many Centaurs generals in his military."

"A wise move, I suppose". mused Peter.

"So it would seem, your Majesty. So it would seem but dear me I've detained you long enough for one day. It was a pleasure talking with you, young Son of Adam. Till we meet again." With that, the wise old man turned and started down the path to Cair Paravel. Peter remounted his horse, and, after retaking the reigns looked up after the old character.

"I say, sir would you like a ride back to Cai-" but stopped when he realized there was nobody to talk to. He'd disappeared just like that! "Strange. I wonder how he does that..." wondered Peter as he headed back to the castle.


	4. Chapter 4

The Beast Must Die: Chapter 4

"Please...please my love...please don't go now."

"Vena, please try to understand darling. I'm doing this for us. The Queen said she can protect us. We need to be safe. I want you to be safe"

"But Varcus, why now? why her? We don't know anything about her, nobody does! what makes you think we can trust a stranger like her? besides, have you not heard the whispers...there are those that call her a witch, a sorceress! Oh Varcus, I just don't want anything to happen to you..."

"-and that is why I need to do this!" Varcus's harsh whisper interrupted. "Don't you understand? She's come to stay... she is the new power now. If she is indeed as strong as they say she is then who can stand against her? It's too late now, darling. The lines have been drawn, the village is feeling the pressure she puts on us... we can no longer stay neutral! I don't like her any more than you do, but... my love I just want you to be safe! If this village can earn her protection then by Aslan I intend to give her anything she wants for that!" Please try to understand...I'm doing this for you... for us...for me and you and Varcus Jr. on the way."

Now she laughed a little, appreciating the lightertopic her husband brought up. "Oh come now, how could we put up with two Varcuses in the house?" She smiled and patted her swollen belly. "No, even if it is a boy, I'm sure we'll have time to pick names when you get back. Go darling...go now and bring back good news."

"I won't be long, my love. You'll be with me every step of the way..."

"Wait! Don't go! don't leave me! Come back! Father come back!" Again Varco woke up screaming to the night air. Dawn was peeking over the trees, and everything was covered in dew. Varco felt the droplets run down his fur...felt his tears mixing with the morning dew on his face. He tried to move...and found he couldn't! As his eyes slowly adjusted to the relm of reality he came to realize he was standing up...more than that he'd been running...sprinting in his sleep! His tortured mind had fired his legs into tearing headlong through the forest...right into a broken offtree branch.

The stick was at about chest level...perhaps 3 ribs from his collarbone...he knew this because that's where it was now embedded...that waswhere pain was searing his flesh. his rusting chainmail dug into his neck, as if something were pulling at it from his back...or pushing it away from his body...slowly it dawned on him.

He was impaled on a jagged forest branch.

With a grunt he tried to move, tried to back away, and his chest screamed protest. With a muffled whimper Varco gripped the branch with both paws and pushed. slowly the wood gave way, splintering and crackling out of his back, through his ribcage, and finally out of his body. Varco collapsed to the ground as he felt blood quickly filling the hole left by the natural spear.

"_how...how can it be_?" Then it hit him. "_even the trees are on His side now_." The Beast's loyal foliage had tried to stop him, had skewered him as he dremt. Now thanks to them he would die here and the Lion would live unpunished...how dare he! Varco tried to breathe, but choked on blood.

"_You can't get away with this Aslan...You did this to me_!" Now the deep glow started to fill his wound...for an instant Varco felt a flash of pain...like a red-hot cauterizing iron was crawling out of his chest...then nothing.

He looked down, the blood no longer flowed, his fur was still matted with it, but already it was drying, hardening, but not flowing. No longer tormented by the awful pain, and too battered from the night to even attempt an explanation of what had just happened, his mind retreated to reflect...reflect upon all he'd seen that night.

Too long had he been tortured by these nightmares. Too often he was forced to relive all the most painful moents of his relatively young life. Too many times was he dragged through memory after awful memory...oh so many times! And each time more vivid than before...after a while he'd come to live with it; nerves of steel grew within him out of necessity...but this last revelation blasted through all his defenses like a hurricane through a card house. Because this one was new.

He'd never seen this before in his life. Never! always he'd been forced to relive episodes dredged upby hismemory...but this...this was something he'd never seen before...something he'd never witnessed in reality! Varco had seen his father for the first time...he now knew what he looked like...and the already-fading image in his mind wasenough to leave the hardened warrior broken and sobbing on the forest floor.

"_Father...Daddy why? why'd you leave us? Why? Daddy_..."

At the sound of hooves Varco's ears suddenly pricked up. Instantly his warrior instincts kicked in; his sobbing stopped instantly as if suddenly overridden. He leapt to his feet. Long years fighting Narnians had tuned his ears to pick up on his opponents. Once he knew who, where, and how many there were, they became not opposition, but prey. Now his ears detected a familiar sound...one that made his hair stand on end. Those were Centaur hooves he heard!


	5. Chapter 5

The Beast Must Die: Chapter 5

"Edmund! Come to supper!"

"Coming Sue, just a sec!"

"Oy have you seen Peter? Is he back yet?"

"Haven't seen him! Wait, never mind! he's here! Be right there! Hey Peter, good to see you back, hey will you take a look at this?" Edmund's hand appeared from behind a wall of dusty leather-bound tomes. Peter picked his way down the tall book-lined aisles to the back of the library...into the far corner, to Edmund's sanctuary.

"Edmund, you know that librarian friend of yours will not be pleased when he sees this...goodness Ed what have you done here! Some of these look like they're older than this castle itself…"

"Peter, they are! That's what I wanted to show you! I found some of the oldest books in this library and would you believe they're still readable? Hey, you remember Mr. Beaver who told us about the prophecy? Peter, I _found_ that book of prophecy! And that's not the only prophecy that's been made!" Far down in the hall they both heard Susan calling again faintly, but they both now ignored her for the time being. Ed had Peter riveted. Edmund continued: "This same book also predicted the White Witch's reign, even set the number of years it would last! Peter, it talks about us too, and Aslan! Of course it's rather vague and difficult to understand, but it's as if when things do happen, the prophecies suddenly make sense!"

"But do these books say anything about our future? What are we supposed to do now that Narnia is unified and peaceful again?"

"Peace is a relative term, young human!" The voice came from behind a bookcase, where both Edmund and Peter quickly spun around to see the old grey-haired librarian appear, this time balancing a set of thick glasses on his thin nose. "Indeed, it would be impossible for peace to be absolute in any case, for perfect peace only breeds unstoppable chaos. Good creates its own evil; this is the great paradox, the great balance that keeps Narnia, and indeed all things in check. Oh, but dear me, what have you done stacking so many old tomes here! How am I to sort them back now!" Edmund shifted uneasily, Peter tried to divert the old man's attention back to the original subject.

"Please sir, what you were saying about balance...surely now that Aslan is back we can expect Good to always stand triumphant over all Narnia now."

"Indeed, can we? Narnia was a good peaceful land until the White Witch came and conquered and subdued it. Then, one more powerful than her came along and replaced her, namely you four and Aslan. But what is to stop one coming along who is more powerful than Aslan, then one more powerful than that? Indeed, even down to the elements of Magic, the Good and the Dark powers have fought constantly since the beginning of time. Powerful and influential as your Majesties are, you are but pawns in this feud, caught up in a struggle that has already been laid out and predicted in these pages" the old man pointed his cane at the stack of leather and paper Edmund now shrank behind. Peter spoke up again.

"Sir, if we are but pawns, at least we have Aslan, he's the most powerful creature in all Narnia, and he's good! not safe or tame...but good. Surely he can ensure that peace and prosperity shall stay in Narnia permanently."

"My boy, there are things in this world that even Aslan himself must answer to. You should know that better than anybody having seen Aslan lay down his life for your brother" Edmund winced and stared at the floor as the painful memory was again dredged back up. And besides, if Aslan is so powerful, why did he have to wait a hundred years before delivering Narnia from the Witch, hmm? Trust me young lad, there are things that even the Great Lion himself fears... oh but dear me, where is my head! it's past supper time, and I'm sure you are hungry." and just like that, the old man turned and hobbled away. Peter was still in something of a daze, his forhead scrunched up as he tried to process all this grey-haired librarian said. Finally, he turned to Edmund and said:  
"C'mon Ed, I'm sure Sue and Lucy are ready to kill us now for being so late. Let's go"

"Right behind you, brother, I am ever so hungry!" Edmund rose to leave, but stopped suddenly. "Peter, don't move!"

Peter froze. "What is it?  
"Look down, at your foot!" Peter did, and there, on the floor was a loose piece of yellow parchment. Peter bent to pick it up. It was cracked and brittle with age, indeed it appeared as if the paper would have been turned to dust had Peter stepped on it. Curious, Peter tried to read the ancient careful writing. Ed looked over his shoulder and helped out. Between the two of them, they managed to decipher:

_...Shall be in the days Of the age's first spring_

_Dark magic shall rise Death's life shall it bring._

_For when the Dark Magic Has founded it's hour_

_Shall find it a vessel And fill it with power._

_Ambassador, victim, One broken, alone_

_Dark magic will find him and make him it's home._

_The time has been set, one cannot ignore_

_The time that the One shall encompass the four_

_For Darkness shall reign when the Darkness has won…_

_The Beast then must answer for all it has done._

"Peter! Edmund! Really, we've started eating without you! Your supper's getting cold! Lucy run up and fetch them, will you?" Edmund snatched up the paper and stuffed it in his pocket

"Coming, Sue! We're coming!"


	6. Chapter 6

The Beast Must Die: chapter 6

WARNING: The following chapter contains scenes of violence that may not be suitable for younger readers. Reader discretion is advised (I'd give this chapter a "T" rating.)

Varco could hear talking by the time he reached the overhang. The trail appeared and continued about 20 feet directly below the cliff on which he now crouched. From his perch Varco got down on all fours and peeked around an overhanging bush to see two centaurs standing in front of two small faun boys, the centaurs blocked the boy's way.

"I'm sorry children, but rules are rules. A simple toll is a small price to pay for having Aslan and The Four protecting us again."

"But sir, please we just want to go to the fair, and it's an awful long trip back home, may we please pay you on our return?" the young faun boy pleaded, his companion, cowed into silence, slouched behind his pleading friend, just staring at his hooves.

"I'm sorry boys, but rules are rules, and what would become of Narnia if nobody was fair…" From his perch above them, Varco listened, slowly gritting his teeth…

"_Fair…Hmph, centaurs talking of fairness…was it fair when you torched my village? Was it? Was it fair to kill Mommy when Daddy left? Was it? Who will answer for that? Murderers like you? Your precious lion? Curse you all! Curse you!" _Almost before he knew what he was doing, Varco gripped the closest branch he could find, and broke it from its tree with a loud snap. The centaurs looked up in time to see a dark, slightly glowing form come screaming down from out of nowhere! Varco landed on the one Centaur's back and with a seething roar of pure unadulterated rage drove the freshly broken end of his branch into the Centaur's unarmored back.

"_Arrogant fools, centaurs never armor their backs, do they?" _with a hard twist, there came a sickening crack from somewhere inside the Centaur's chest, and with a look of pain mixed with shock frozen on his face, the centaur's hooves buckled and he fell forward. The other centaur had pulled out both his scimitars by the time his comrade hit the ground, but Varco was nowhere to be seen.

As his enemy fell, Varco dove for the forest floor, grabbing the dead centaur's scimitar on the way down. He landed just under the other centaur while it was backing up. Dark fire blazed in Varco's eyes as he swung his scimitar upwards, and horse-man blood rained down on him.

The centaur cried out in surprise, and leapt forward, giving Varco a hard kick to the head as his flank passed over. The centaur swung around to meet his assailant, both blades raised; no trace of pain could be detected in his gaze, only concentration and anger.

"You dare attack a guardian of Aslan's roadway? You will surely stand trial for this, little Racomine!"

Varco stood up to his full height, (barely to his opponent's chestplate). The Centaur's blood had spattered Varco's chainmailed back, his own blood flowed from a deep gash across his jawline. Slowly the cut was engulfed in dark reddish light, and the bleeding slowed as Varco faced his slashed enemy. "Don't you recognize me, little horseman? Or has the pain of an opened underbelly clouded your vision?"

The centaur's eyes opened wide in horror now. "How…we buried you!" With a scream Varco charged the stunned centaur. The rattled horseman could only block, parry, and back up until he was pressed against the edge of the forest trail. Finally, Varco dove for his legs, rolled under an already bleeding chest, and with one final warrior yell drove his scimitar straight up deep into the horse's ribcage. The horse's legs locked into place, and the centaur died still standing up beside the thick wall of trees. Varco brushed away the blood from his face as best he could and crawled out from underneath his "fallen" opponent. It was then he realized the two young fauns were still standing there.

Varco hesitated, then slowly, cautiously approached the boys. Both of them hadn't moved the whole time, now they both stared at him wide-eyed, pure fear written across their faces. Finally Varco spoke to them softly, as kindly as he could:

"It's okay, it's okay, they're gone now…they can't hurt you… they can't stop you, go on…" A drop of centaur blood ran down his forehead into his eye, Varco put his arm up to wipe it away. His arm raised over the boys, both began to whimper, then one started to sob loudly.

"No, it's okay, look, you're free now, run along to the fair! Go on!" Varco pulled his hand away from his face and realized it was now covered in blood. Centaur blood covered him, it ran down his neck, through his hair, he could taste it, sweet and metallic in his mouth." The boys just stared at him and kept crying. Varco tried being stern:

"Stop it, both of you!"

They kept screaming.

"Both of you stop it!" Varco took a step forward; both children didn't move, just kept sobbing and wailing and screaming…

"Shut up! Just shut up now!"

Now both were screaming, Varco couldn't make it stop.

"Shut up! Shut up! Stop it now!" Everything blurred as his vision was engulfed in a dark purplish haze. Varco went blind, went numb, all he heard was whimpering, sobbing screaming, screaming! … then silence.

Dead silence.

A second later Varco looked up and both the faun children weren't screaming, weren't even breathing. One was thrown against a tree, his body broken and battered almost in half; the other one was lying face-up in a widening pool of crimson. Varco couldn't breathe, and he stumbled back, bumping into the standing centaur, who toppled and fell with a dull thud on the forest floor. Suddenly all was quiet, the deafening silence overwhelmed the racomine. No birds, no wind, only the sound of his own erratic breathing echoed in his head…suddenly Varco spun around at the sound of someone else! A low seething voice engulfed his ears and mind…

"_murderer…" _


	7. Chapter 7

The Beast Must Die: Chapter 7

_Indas Vorros Requiennne…_

_Indos Varros Domuna…_

The chanting echoed off the dank walls of the massive chamber, rising and falling in long monotone, until it filled the entire room. The hundred odd voices joined as one, repeating in chorus over and over again the sacred incantations. Though robed and hooded, each and every one could now see clearly, for they were all versed and well experienced in such doctrine. For each one, save the newer converts and apprentices, this was a gathering like any other; they filed in, single file, gathering silently, stealthily from all areas around Cair Paravel, all making their way in the pitch blackness, the younger ones groping, the older ones slowly walking, blind in the pitch blackness of the subterranean tunnels, but familiar with them nonetheless. Once every one of the fold had gathered, and the doors locked, they began to sing…well chant, really. Each one lifting their voices as one to fill the great black chamber; it was here that no light had ever fallen since the beginning of time, here light had no reach, no dominion, no place whatsoever; for here, only darkness reigned, and for the Order of the One, this was their sanctuary. Now the chorus reached a somber climax, and as the incantation filled the room, the room began to glow. The older ones noticed it first, a soft, dark light seeming to come from nowhere. Building in intensity, till the entire room was bathed in it, casting no shadows, pulsing in time with the Order's voices. Soon the purple-red glow raged like a fire, fanned stronger and stronger still by the songs of the Reverent. At last the Ceremony of Illumination was complete, and each hooded figure now looked around them, mumbling greetings to their fellow brothers and sisters, all seeing clearly in the pitch blackness that surrounded them. At last, the Great High Priest Alstros of the East addressed the brethren.  
"Greetings and welcome, Brothers and Sisters of the One, I come to this gathering with great news: The One has chosen! Our Redeemer has come!"

A shockwave of hurried whispers spread throughout the crowd. Was it true? Had their hour finally come?

"I tell you now, Brothers!" Alstros continued, "The time has come! We stand together to see prophecy fulfilled! Was it not written "and I shall come when thou art all ready to receive me, when I am called will I not answer?

"In Truth, It is written!" The hooded crowd answered.

"And will I not stand to bring Justice to your land when it is so scarce to find in it?" Alstros continued.

"In Truth, It is written!" came the unanimous reply.

"I tell you now, the One has at last chosen its Right Arm! He stands now, filled with the great Powers of the Dark Judge, who has been prophesied!" The dark one commands we now provide the strength and support this chosen one requires…The One has Spoken! By our reverence shall the One receive power! Narnia now stands on the brink of cleansing! When Justice is served and the Beast is dead, then shall the Great Darkness cover this land like a cleansing tide! What can stand but darkness when the Light is snuffed out? Nothing! In the same way, when the Beast is dead, the One shall rise in power, and when the Darkness falls, we shall rise with it! Narnia will be cleansed! The Beast's time has come! Too long has he twisted and polluted our land, too long has his heinous crimes gone unanswered. When the Redeemer's power is complete, He shall find the Beast, and it will die! This time fully and permanently! Praise be to the One! May his Reign of Darkness be complete and Eternal!"

"Praise Be the Dark One!" The massed order now broke into a frenzy of discussion about the news. How exiting! The time was coming! From the midst of this babble, one lone robed figure made his way to where the High Priest stood. Alstros turned to greet the wizened old elder.

"Ah, Seer, what word have you?"

The old man looked up, a smug grin crossing his wrinkled old face. "I have made contact with the Redeemer."

"Excellent! And how fares he?

"The Darkness Healing has served him well. His strength is great. Each day it grows stronger within him. His mind is still somewhat his own, a minor annoyance, The Darkness is taking that over as well, and when all is complete, his old self will be once again as dead as it was when he was slain in battle, his body will be but a vessel of the One. When this has been completed, then will we have full control, but not until then."

"So, we must wait and watch for this to be complete, and when it is, we may act."

The old man smiled and nodded. Alstros turned to face the brethren again. "My Brothers! My Sisters! Servants of the Dark one, All! We have reached our Redeemer! When His Power is full and the remnant of vessel is purged by the Great Dark, then shall be our Day of Reckoning! The Beast's days are numbered! Is it not written! "The Great Lion shall answer for all He has done!"

"In Truth, it is written!"

Suddenly, a soft note was heard, a horn sounded far away, up the tunnel a ways, perhaps at the mouth. All recognized it as the coming of dawn, and thus the ending of the Gathering. The Order made their way back to the surface, talking exitedly amongst themselves of these new revelations. Eventually, the power of the Illumination Ceremony began to wear off the farther they walked from the sanctuary, and by the time they reached the surface, each one was groping blindly again in the pitch blackness of predawn. By the time the sun finally found its way to the horizon, all were long gone, back to their homes and lives…all to await the next Gathering to be called.


	8. Chapter 8

The Beast Must Die: Chapter 8

"Peter, please do you think you could come to the woods with us today?" Lucy looked up at her favorite big brother, eyes wide, wearing her most pleading face.

"Sorry Lu, Aslan's holding a trial today for the prisoners captured from the White Witch's army. You can go with Susan though, I know she's not busy…"

"Okay, very well, I'll go with Susan…again." Lucy did her best to hide her frustration. Why was peter never around anymore? It seemed every day he became more grown up, more worried looking, more like Father…Lucy looked away darkly, muttering to herself, and peter too: "I wish Aslan would just let them all go…I mean they didn't really do anything, they were just…lied to or scared by the Witch, that's not so bad is it? To be afraid?"

"Sorry, it's not that easy LuLu." Edmund spoke up from the corner he'd been filling till now. "A lot of those…things are pure evil, now they're caught and have to answer to the Narnians they hurt. Think Lucy, all the good ones ran from the witch…or died; only the bad ones are left…besides, if Aslan let all the baddies go, what would happen to Narnia?"

_I'd have my brother back…at least for a day or two _Lucy thought to herself. She wanted to say something smart and cutting and whip it back in that Edmund's smirking face, but Peter cut in.

"Oh cammon Ed, leave her alone. Hey I'm not the only king expected to appear, go get ready!"

"Yes 'sir'." Edmund's voice dripped sarcasm, as usual.

"Lucy, I'll see you and Susan when this is done, okay? Go on, explore the woods or something, I'll catch up after tea today, alright?"

Lucy's face fell, she turned to go "Yes Sir." Her voice was honest, sincere, so unlike Edmund's…but her words stabbed Peter deep. He was losing her and he knew it. Narnia, Aslan's country, was stealing him from her, from everyone. Peter tried to forget it and made for the Throne Room.

The room was by far the largest room in the castle, and it was standing room only today. Peter hadn't seen such a huge crowd here since his crowning…a time that seemed like ages ago. Aslan stood front and center, in the middle of the four thrones, Edmund appeared from the opposite door, and together the two brothers came, sat, and the court was begun.

"Hear ye, hear ye! The Court of Narnia has now commenced! Long live Aslan and the Four Humans!"

"Long live the Kings! Long live the Queens! Long live Aslan!" Eventually the echoes of the ardent applause, and cheering died away. The Jaguar bailiff spoke again.

"The first case: Narnia vs. Varcus Racomine, second general and third in command of the White Witch's forces!" a few boos and hisses from the crowd were quickly silenced as the prisoner was brought forward. The fearsome general couldn't have been more than four feet tall, though he marched upright on his shackled back legs. Edmund whispered to Peter quietly  
"It looks like a fox, a mole, a raccoon but…walking!" Aslan looked down solemnly on the prisoner. Peter looked over at the Great Cat with wonder. How could Aslan still manage to look at even a general, a convict, his killer maybe even!...and yet still look with those strong, piercing but loving eyes? Aslan's voice now filled the grand hall

"Varcus the Racomine, you stand accused of grievious crimes against Narnia and its creatures, including high treason, torture, and even the destruction of your own home village and the genocide leading to the extinction of your kind. How do you plead?"

"Not guilty, of course your majesty! I mean yes I was forced to fight for the Witch follow her orders, like thousands of other fellow Narnians, but I haven't set foot near my home since the day I was taken from it! But alas, my words are useless, I waste my breath for your mind is already made up about me! You can blame me for doing anything can't you Aslan, it really doesn't matter now does it? The axe will fall, and as long as your 'justice' is served it really doesn't matter whos neck lies under that axe! I am a Narnian, was born a Narnian, and when you execute me I will die a Narnian!" The once unruly crowd now stood silenced, stunned. Slowly they looked from the small racomine up to his judge standing over him. Aslan shut his eyes, slowly opening them. Finally he spoke.

"Your rhetoric is strong, General. But I am not the only force behind Narnia's justice: truth is as well. Hear now the testimony of a fellow Narnian, a Racomine, no less! Look closely, general Varcus, perhaps you'll recognize her. She grew up in your village, though she was just a child when it was razed. The court now calls for the testimony of Varina the Racomine!"

A door in the side of the hall swung open…and stayed gaping, empty, nothing. All eyes moved to the open door…except Peter's; his drifted off into space

_Varina, Varina, where have I heard that name before?_ _Do I even know a Varina? _Peter slapped his forehead in frustration. _Ugh! Peter why are you so stupid! Who is Varina? _He was snapped out of his thoughts by the Bailiff's hurried proclamation.

"By order of the Great Lion Aslan himself, this court is in recess until further notice. Take the prisoner away!"

Varcus leapt forward, restrained by two guards "You call this 'Justice' Aslan? Where is your proof? Where is your little snitch! Why am I even still in chains? You can't hold me forever Aslan, the Truth will find you! His angry cries slowly died away as he was dragged from the great hall back to his holding cell. The courtroom was now a frenzied buzz as armed centaurs 'encouraged' the crowd to leave the great hall. Peter almost thought he heard a cry of "let the Narnian go!" as the people slowly shuffled out. Peter glanced over at Aslan, who now appeared much less serene, more agitated, almost…was it…worried? Rising to leave, both Edmund and Peter heard Aslan lean over to the jaguar bailiff and whisper harshly: "Find her…Now!"


	9. Chapter 9

The Beast Must Die: Chapter 9

The pure silence of the deep forest was suddenly shattered as an arrow cut through the air, sailing with perfect grace and blinding speed, and with a loud _thunk_ coming to rest in a thin forest evergreen approximately 100 meters or so from the archer. Susan looked up from her bow, smiling in the satisfaction of another perfect shot. Together, she and Lucy ran after the arrow.

"wow, that was amazing Susan, I do say you're getting better and better at that…" Lucy was cut off by a low, deep moan that sailed through the treetops, an almost inaudible cry of pain carried on the light forest breeze.

"Oh, my goodness, I'm so sorry!" Susan called out to the tree she just shot." Lucy caught up just as Susan had finished working the arrowhead out from the tree's rough bark, already the hole was filling with sap.

"Oh dear, here you go Mr. Tree, we are so very sorry!" Lucy pulled out her bottle of cordial and poured some on the tree. Before their eyes the hole closed, the bark came back together…and just like that the tree was as good as new. Soon the moaning wind died down, and once again, all was quiet in the deep forest. Lucy, recapping her cordial bottle, looked up at Susan as they walked aimlessly down a trail.

"Susan, do you think Peter and Edmund are done now so they can come and join us?"

"Maybe, Lucy, but I doubt it, a trial this size may take days, even weeks, they do have an entire army to go through after all."

"Yes, I suppose. Susan, why did Peter have to leave? Remember how he used to come walking with us, you two used to argue which was better, bows and arrows or swords, and we would go swimming in the cool rivers and dance with the fauns in the evening…now he's in the Castle, he's always in the Castle! I never get to see him, do you? I miss him Sue, I really do."

"Lucy, Peter's growing up. He has a job to do now, he's responsible for all Narnia…"

"-don't you miss him though?" Lucy looked up at her.

"Yes, yes Lucy I miss him too." They both walked on in silence for a while, finally Lucy spoke up.

"I think we should take a holiday! Even kings and queens are allowed to take holidays, right? We should travel all around Narnia, see it for ourselves! We could all go together, the four of us! Oh wouldn't it be lovely!"

"That's a great idea! We should definitely ask Aslan about it when we get back- Lucy don't move! Listen!"

Both of them suddenly stopped, and in the silence, far away they heard an animal…it was screaming. Not screeching or hooting or even roaring, this one was screaming.

"Susan! Look! Over there!" Lucy pointed to a small clearing a little ways from the trail, where a furry reddish animal knelt. Both girls quietly crept closer…soon both could hear it wasn't just screaming, it was screaming legibly…they could almost make out words…there! Now they both peeked out from the edge of the clearing, now they could see this poor creature more clearly. It was reddish brown, about four feet tall, but hunched over now, so it was hard to tell its true height. Then they got closer…

It's fur wasn't red, the creature was soaked in blood from snout to tail. Tattered remains of what looked like chainmail armor covered his torso, but even through the mail Susan and Lucy could see its chest heaving. It had stopped screaming now, and was sobbing violently, pouding the mossy clearing sod with it's clenched fist, whimpering something sounding like "go away…please leave me…" Lucy whispered to Susan

"Aw, susan look at it, it's crying, it must be terribly hurt, I should heal it!" before Susan could do anything Lucy scampered out into the clearing.

"Excuse me, are you hurt? I have something to help you feel better…are you alright?" Their cover blown, Susan ran to Lucy's side, now no more than five feet from this strange blood-drenched creature. It seemed to be ignoring them, it's face almost touching the soft forest floor, still sobbing mercilessly.

"No, I'm sorry, It wasn't me, I didn't…No, I didn't! I didn't!" was it pleading? Was it mad? Susan took a step closer, speaking softly and kindly  
"Didn't what? What's wrong? Are you hurt? Is there anything we can do to hel-"suddenly the creature leapt to its feet and turned away.

"It wasn't me! No, I didn't! Stop it! Stop! Leave me alone! Go away! Please leave!"

Lucy crept up behind Susan, grabbing a handful of her dress. "I don't think he can hear us, Susan; something must be wrong with him, I should give him some cordial…that should make him all better, right?" she took a step toward him, but suddenly he wheeled around to face them.

"what…what are you doing here? Who are you? Where did you come-… Aww!" he now gripped his head in his hands, doubling over in pain. Writhing on the ground for a while soon he came to rest, and a dark purplish light started to creep across his matted fur spreading out from his chest, sinking into his skin. Slowly the creature rose, standing now to his full height, no taller than Lucy really, but his eyes…his eyes now glowed as if a red-black fire blazed behind them. They scanned the clearing, coming to rest on a tiny young girl with a crystal bottle in her hand. Slowly, softly, it growled.

"Lloooossseeee…" He took a menacing step toward her, its burning eyes now fixed, unblinking on his prey.

"Lucy get behind me!" Susan's bow was set and drawn, carefully she leveled it at this beast. "I don't know what you are or what you want, but one move toward my sister and you die, beast!" Susan's voice was level as the arm aiming her bow. Lucy turned to run, that's when it sprang, when Susan shot.

Her arrow flew true, her aim was perfect, it hit the beast in his side, in a hole in his chainmail. It roared now, and the glow throbbed for a second, then receded. For a second his eyes cleared, and he looked around, stumbled back, almost cried out in pain… but the darkness quickly retook control, and he steadied himself, his eyes blazing again, and with one paw wrenched the arrow right out of his side. Now he roared and leapt at Susan. She only had time to block with her bow, but the force of his attack knocked her back, and her foot caught on a tree root. She sailed backwards, landing with a thud, looking up just in time to see the monster grab her little sister, pick her up as if she weighed nothing, and hold her under one arm. Slowly he looked back, again he spoke, it seemed as if the very words he spoke were carved from, were made from darkness.

"onnne moovve…and shhee diieesss…" his claws ran menacingly across her throat, Lucy could barely even wriggle, much less fight his grip. Susan was frozen, torn by her need to protect her sister and her love for her sister's life. Susan watched the beast turn and dash into the forest, carrying Lucy away into the darkening forest. She now realized it was getting dark, it'd be way past dark by the time she got back to the castle, too dark to form a search party, and that animal could move like nothing she'd ever seen! The realization crept in, eventually seizing up her insides like a punch in the stomach. Lucy was gone! Susan got to her feet and, fighting back tears of fear and pain, turned back to the trail and began sprinting for Cair Paravel.


	10. Chapter 10

The Beast Must Die: Chapter 10

The Voice…The It… _murderer…_

It was the last thing Varco remembered…It was talking to him…called him …the things it said! How it seemed to burn a hole right through his stomach each time he thought back to that one scene…the children staring up at him, the young centaur dead on its feet…Still it talked to him. So many times he'd told it to stop, to shut up and go away…but to where? It seemed to be right inside of him, locked inside and sharing his very conciousness…and the things it told him! About the lion…and the prophecies, and the things he must do…

"You are Chosen, young Racomine" it said. The Darkness will fulfill the prophecies through you whether you like it or not." Such things, what could it mean? So confused, so messed up…Varco looked down to see a broken off half of an arrow, still stuck in his chainmail by his side…his side healed over completely…but the arrow…wait…the humans!

Pevensies…two girls it was, but then the haze came again…broken shortly by a sudden deep pain…how it seemed to clear his mind! In that moment of pain he could see clearly, see the girl with her bow, it's string still humming, and the other, smaller, much closer…looking up at him with…such strange eyes…like two little mirrors they were, seeming to reflect back at him all the fear and terror he stirred in her. But then, the haze returned, now he was here…where was here?

Giving his surroundings a quick once-over, Varco tried to get his bearings. In the receding light of dusk he could make out a great gathering place, in which he now stood in the center, more or less. Pillars and boulders surrounded him on all sides…and there, a flat slab of rock that appeared freshly broken, its cut still rough and unworn…suddenly it hit him.

This was the Stone Table!

No sooner had the realization come and his bearings were restored, he heard a soft whimper, a sniffle, a caught gasping breath…from the other side of the great stone altar. Making his way around to the other side he found the little girl, still dressed in her ornately simple white dress, her eyes now hidden, her face buried in her lap. She was rocking back and forth, crying softly.

"Susan, Peter, where are you? Aslan! I want to go home! I want to go home!"

_This thing is a friend of the Beast. She is your way to the Beast, it will come for her, when it does, you must be ready. _It was back, talking again, unavoidable, there in his mind. Suddenly the girl looked up at him, her eyes widened, and she drew back from him in fear. Varco just looked at her. The girl, scared as she was, talked to him anyway.

"You're eyes aren't glowing anymore…are you better now?" She seemed much older than she looked, Varco thought. He looked down at her, tried to smile, managing a twisted grin.

"For now, little one, I think I'm okay. I don't know what I've done to you- …I'm sorry if I've hurt you…try to understand…it wasn't me that…that brought you here…" Varco could only grit his teeth at how absurd he must be sounding to the poor girl.

"Are you going to become sick again soon?" Her voice took on some tension now.

"I don't know, little one, I don't know." He looked away.

"So you are a daughter of Eve, I presume? By that I assume you must know the four Pevensies that rule Narnia with 'The Great Lion'…" The voice cut in, low and angry, seething with hatred.

_She's a damn Queen, you idiot! You will take her to the place I want you to, when the time comes. For now, you will stay here, rest a little, tomorrow we will kill the Beast. The prophecies must come to bear, you are the Right Arm. Guard the Queen, await my instruction…_

"…which is to say I've never spent a night away from my fam – hello? Are you alright?" Lucy had realized halfway through her monologue/plea to go home that her captor had zoned out completely, and hadn't been listening at all…at least not listening to her. In fact it seemed he had almost forgotten all about her, choosing instead to talk to himself.

"Must I murder again? Why are you doing this? Why can't I just have my own vengeance, my way?"

_Imbecile! She is the cost of war, It's the Lion's fault in the first place for dragging her into this! Her, and the centaurs, the two little faun children who got in the way; the Lion must answer for all their blood, and you are the one to do this! You will accept this, and follow my commands like it or not! Her blood shall point the way… By her death will you have justice…_

Now Varco heard something he never heard before…Like a faraway song coming closer…a throbbing, a pounding, now a chorus of voices that seemed to play behind It's voice. The voices slowly rose, bringing with it a power all its own. Growing louder, still louder; stronger, still stronger! Varco's heart began pounding, he was being filled with the greatest rush he'd ever had. He felt the urge to jump, bound, roar, sprint away all at once! The power he felt coursing through his veins now was enough to take on the entire Lion's Armies! The chorus grew louder and louder, rising to an overwhelming climax in his head. The haze came now in full force, and Varco again lost control. Again he felt his own self pushed aside, seeming to take a second seat…next to It.

The deep red glow engulfed him now, drenching him inside and out, pulsating in morbid rhythm, and in the nearly-gone light of dusk the deep hue shone brightly. Lucy's dress, hands, and face were now illuminated dark purplish-red. Backing up in horror, she could only watch as the monster leapt atop the Stone Table to let out a piercing warrior cry before bearing down on her. She felt herself get picked up, then she felt a claw.

A razor-sharp, three inch claw bore deep into her shoulder.

Blood was running onto her once-white dress, running down her arm, sprinkling on the ground. A cry caught in her throat, then the ground below her began to move as the Creature carrying her charged into the pitch black forest. Soon, the moving ground beneath her began to spin, and the already-dark forest began to get quieter, quieter, farther, farther away.

Still the thing ran on, never tiring though eventually it seemed he'd been running for hours…

Lucy, now having dripped most her blood on the forest floor, soon lost consciousness…still the creature drove ahead, soon she would stop bleeding, would run out of blood to bleed…It didn't care…they weren't far now.


	11. Chapter 11

The Beast Must die: Chapter 11

"Lucy…Lucy…why Lucy…" Susan buried her face against Peter's shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably. Edmund stood silently in the darker corner of the room, looking down into space, not moving, trying so hard not to feel…He mustn't cry now…He must look strong like Peter was! Peter was strong, why couldn't he be strong too? No, I must look strong… I mustn't cry. Instead of letting it flow down his face, Edmund dammed his sorrow up deep inside, held it in till he felt he would explode. The search parties had already been assembled, planning to look for her the entire night if they had to; he could hear the drawbridge being taken up as the last group ventured off into the moonless night. Edmund closed his eyes again…he mustn't cry…

Peter stood, holding Susan gently as she sobbed on his shoulder. "_what were you thinking, Peter, this is all your fault! You should have protected her, she's your sister and she's gone, maybe even…no, we'll find her! This is all your fault, all my fault." _ A young faun maid entered the room, Edmund noticed her first, watching her stand in the doorway waiting to speak…finally she did.

"Your Majesties, there is a messenger who has just arrived and wishes to speak with you." Susan stood up and hastily brushed away her tears, Peter answered solemnly.

"We will see him in the Courtyard."

The few torches that weren't taken by the search parties were now lit and flickered dimly in the courtyard. Edmund finished lighting the last one, dropped the flint in his pocket, and ran to join his brother and sister who now stood before the drawbridge as it slowly descended. As Edmund scurried to the group, he noticed somebody else doing the same…Aslan!

"_Aslan, this must be important!"_ By the time they were all four of them together in the center of the courtyard, The drawbridge was down, and the company beheld a small weasel slowly making it's way to them. Under the dim stars and by the light of the few torches they could make out it looked in rather rough shape. It's fur was matted and soiled, but what they all noticed most was it's eyes…he had none.

That is to say he had no normal eyes, what one might expect on a weasel, instead where his eyes were supposed to be there exuded a deep purplish-red light. They seemed to glow, Edmund thought, much like headlights on an automobile, except carlights are always dead solid monotone…this light seemed very much alive. Once it got closer, it began to speak.  
"I bring a message for the Three Pevensies of Cair Paravel and the Great Lion Aslan…" it stopped now, a safe distance from them. The wind brought the stench of rotting flesh to their noses, Edmund was the first to realize the weasel was actually a rotting corpse. Turning to face them, the weasel spoke, with a voice not his own:

"The Queen Lucy has been taken to the Stone Table, and is in the custody of the One. Aslan the Lion must come for her, only Aslan, and Aslan alone. If he does not come by dawn tomorrow, Lucy will die…If anybody attempts to accompany him, Lucy will die…Aslan, you will come and collect the Queen…here endeth my message."

With that, the glow in his eyes throbbed, flickered, and like a candle starved of air, faded away to nothingness. With it gone, the weasel fell to the ground, no longer a messenger, but a still, rotting dead forest animal once again. Susan knelt down to see it, a wave of sympathy washed over her, suddenly Aslan's massive shadow covered them both.

"It would appear it is once again at rest, Susan, but you should burn the body, just to be safe. I will go to the Stone Table and retrieve dear Lucy, The centaurs and the rest of the search party will return shortly. By dawn I will be back here with your sister, if all goes well…" With that, the great lion turned and charged off into the night. Almost before the three could blink, he was gone.

"What does this all mean?" Susan stood up and turned to her two brothers. "Oh Peter is Lucy going to be alright?" Peter tried to be as comforting as he could, but the same question weighed on his own heart. Edmund looked up, taking a step toward the dead weasel now crumpled up on the courtyard ground.

"All the guards and most of the servants are gone searching, I'll burn this poor thing myself" he said.

_You always were a bit of a pyro, Ed _ Peter again kicked himself inwardly…at this time of all times he still had to keep coming up with smart remarks about his little brother.

Peter led Susan inside as Ed hurried over to the wall and grabbed a torch, as he returned, Peter and Susan turned to go.

"We all may as well try and get some sleep now. There's nothing more we can do, and like Aslan said, Lucy should be back here in the morning…Edmund, what's wrong with your torch?"

Ed looked, and noticed his torch had flickered out…must have been a freak gust of wind. Edmund threw it on the ground in frustration.

"Fine, I'll just toss this thing in the big fireplace… He knelt down and scooped up the weasel's remains and carried it towards one of the many courtyard doors leading into the rest of the castle. He looked down at the corpse… were his eyes glowing again? No, it must have been his imagination. As he walked out of the lighted courtyard to the doors, the darkness of the night closed around him…and, when in a strange land, holding a dead forest animal, the darkness can do strange things to a boy's mind. Edmund slowly felt more and more tired…certainly the stress of the day must have been wearing on him…as he walked, the courtyard was getting darker, still darker…Edmund was sure it was as if the darkness were stretching the distance out between him and the door… courtyard darkening, stretching…then it started to spin.

Edmund hit the marble floor hard, collapsing in a heap. Peter and Susan rushed to his side, Peter turned him over, Susan was calling his name. The corpse rolled out from Edmunds arms, and now stared blankly up at them, a twisted smirk lay frozen on its rotting lips. Susan didn't notice, she was still calling...  
"Edmund! I say Edmund what's wrong!"

"Susan he's breathing, he should be okay…should be… Su-" Both older Pevensies joined their fallen brother on the courtyard floor. Eventually the last torch flickered out and the courtyard was curtained in total darkness, save the few stars, so far above.

From this darkness, three hooded figures watched the still forms; finally a fourth rose up from behind them and spoke:

"It is done. Take the Majesties to the Sanctum, keep them with the others, and hurry! The centaurs will be returning soon!

Out from the shadows the brethren crept, under the cover of pure darkness they stole into the courtyard, picked up Peter, Edmund, and Susan, and began dragging them away. The pure darkness allowed them to see perfectly, and from the shadows one hooded man watched the whole thing. Slowly a smile spread across his aged, wrinkled face.

"All has been set. The time has come. What has been set in motion cannot be undone…by dawn tomorrow there shall be no sunrise…"

"…and all Narnia shall be mine!"


	12. Chapter 12

The Beast Must Die: Chapter 12

When in total darkness, when it's impossible to tell when one's eyes are open or shut, how can one know the difference of whether they are indeed awake…or simply still dreaming? For Lucy, this deciding difference was pain.

This was not a dream. She hurt too much to be dreaming.

White-knuckled searing pain shot through her entire shoulder, it was like nothing she'd ever felt before, she wanted so bad at that moment to just tear her arm right off, if only that would make it stop!

She needed help, and fast! The solid pitch black before her eyes started turning white, as if a curtain were being drawn across it…she was going…slowly going…she didn't feel the pain so much anymore…

"No! She needed to live! She needed help! Drawing in the deepest breath she could muster, she gave her loudest scream

"Suusss…the cry caught in her throat, and gargled away, indeed it hadn't even been much more than a whisper…she was too weak, just to weak… she closed her eyes…

_Aslan…please…help me… _she would have said the words out loud, but she was no longer breathing. The white curtains closed, and she felt as if she were floating…floating away…so white…so light…she let go.

Black! Blackness tore back into her vision again…white seemed to cry protest…Let me go! Let me just float away! She pleaded with the black to release her, it only smirked and clawed faster…relentlessly the black clawed at the white, tore the curtain to shreds, till it once again held control, Poor Lucy almost wanted to cry…she was so close…so close to being free…now she'd have to hurt again…

But instead of pain, Lucy felt soft, warm, familiar hands grab her and pull her up…and she heard her sister's voice.

"Lucy! Oh dear Lucy, that was so close…you were so close to being…Susan's voice caught, broke, and she could do nothing more than hold her dearest, dearest little sister. If Lucy had been able to see in the dark, she would have seen Susan's bosom right above her face as she cradled her gently on her lap, she would have seen Peter putting the cap back on her cordial…the cordial that just saved her life…and she would have seen Edmund, perhaps still in shock, but crouched up in a corner of their cell about six or seven feet from them all, doing nothing, just rocking back and forth…but, since she could not see in the dark, Lucy, indeed all four of them couldn't even tell if their eyes were open or closed.

"Well, I suppose we found Lucy, but where in Aslan's name are we?" Peter put the cordial back in Lucy's dress pocket as he spoke.

"The darkness has come, Peter" Edmund finally spoke.

"What do you mean?"

"Remember the prophecy? The darkness shall reign when the darkness has won. It's come true, Peter!"

"That's ridiculous! Didn't it also say something about an ambassador and darkness filling it?"

"Couldn't that have been that dead weasel perhaps? I don't know all of it, but I'm not blind!" Peter smirked at the irony of his brother's remark "_we may as well be, it's so dark here…where are we?"_

"For Darkness shall reign when the Darkness has won, The beast then must answer for all it hath done." A new voice broke into the pitch blackness. The three looked around themselves feverishly, but Lucy cried out happily at the familiar voice.

"Varina! Oh Varina is that you?" Her favorite maid, the one who had come to the castle a mere orphan of unknown origin, the one who would tuck her in at night and tell her stories about a forest home she once had lived in…it was her! Varina's voice again trailed towards them.

"Hello, Lucy, are you well? And Peter, Edmund, don't look so surprised to hear me quote prophecy."

Peter was sure he'd heard this name before…Varina…Varina…Of course!

"Wait, you were to appear before the court! But you disappeared…that must have been days ago, how long have you been down here?"

"Oh I can't tell, it's not like we can see the sun from here…oh it's felt like an eternity, I wonder if there even is a sun left anymore…Has the darkness won already? Is there no hope for any of us?"

Edmund suddenly sat bolt upright, and smacked his head in frustration, and epiphany. "The flint! I still have the flint from the torches in my pocket!" Reaching into his coat, he dug out the flint and, after finding a dry stone on the wall, struck it hard. Sparks flew everywhere, and for a flash, like dull orange lightning, the room in which they were all sitting was illuminated. Again Ed hit the wall, and again, and again. In the flashing sparks of light Peter was able to discern where the girl's voice was coming from. A small, furry girlish shadow of a creature was chained to the wall directly across from them. Her sad eyes, accustomed to the total darkness, were squinting now, flinching almost painfully each time a spark illuminated them. Peter gasped in surprise…she was a Racomine just like that General!

"Why…why are you here?" Peter finally asked her.

"It's a long story…but I suppose we do have ample time...oh very well."

"It all began when the White Witch came to our village and called all the men out to a town meeting. Father took me along; I was but a baby at the time. The White Witch told the men they would join her army that night or die. Many tried to run, they died, others simply chose death…and it was given them. Varrus, our neighbor and friend chose to fight, and, over time won the eye of the Queen of Ice herself. Father also worked for her, bearing the hope of someday getting back home to Mother and the rest…but it was not to be. One day, Father overheard the Queen and Varrus talking. She told him she would make him a general if he could prove his loyalty to her…by razing his…our own village. She had some Centaur mercenaries at the ready, she told him to make it look like a Centaurian purge, to blame it on Aslan zealots. When Father heard of his plan he stole a horse from the camp we were in and made for the forest back home, in hopes of warning them before it was too late. I was older then, nearly as old as I am today…either ways I was old enough to understand what was going on. Father got as far as the edge of the camp before they caught him. His horse was shot out from under him, and before they got to him, he told me to run…run and never look back…and I did. I heard Father scream but I kept running…I heard him stop screaming, but still kept running. I ran, and ran, and ran so far, eventually I was found by a Jaguar from Cair Paravel, and the rest is history…" she let her voice die away, and eventually her echoes stopped reverberating in the dark hallways. Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy all sat in silence for a while. Edmund, who had been gathering dry straw from the dungeon floor absentmindedly now spoke up.

"So that bastard torched his own village, blamed it on the centaurs and Aslan, now when he has to answer for it, his only witness 'disappears'…and I do suppose we can assume we're just as…disappeared…as you?" It doesn't make any sense…"

"Lucky for you it doesn't have to make sense, poor wretch!" They all jumped at the harsh words spoken loudly from an unknown source…again, they were not alone. Edmund set again to furious flint-striking, and in the dim flashes of light, on the other side of the bars of their cell they all beheld an old man, his grey locks flowing out from under a black hood. The Old man on the Road, The Order's aged Seer, the Hooded Figure in the Courtyard, the Librarian; one and the same man! He looked back at them smiling.

"Welcome, my children, to the End of the World."


	13. Chapter 13

The Beast Must Die: Chapter 13

"Where…where are we?"

_Shut up, fool! In a short time you will cease to exist, and I shall fully control this body of yours! You have precious few moments to live; I wouldn't waste them asking petty questions!_

Varco could indeed feel himself slowly growing weaker. The power that once fed him, that once gave him the opportunity for revenge now was draining him like a leech. It had become strong enough to control him all the time now. What hade come in friendship so many days ago now consumed him, he felt himself slowly draining away…nothing left…wait! He felt power returning! Slowly at first, now stronger, like a light slowly coming closer…still closer…suddenly the purple haze dissipated, and he could see…though not quite normally. The darkness Power still made him able to see in pitch blackness…and it was in pitch blackness that he stood.

Looking around him in pitch blackness he realized he was standing in front of a huge gathering, like one he'd never seen before. All hooded and robed, all swaying, all facing the stage upon which he was now standing. Beside him stood two or three elder hooded figures, one old gray-haired man and…could it be! The four human Pevensies of Cair Paravel also stood before the gathering, bound hand and foot, guarded on either side by two huge black-robed brethren. Varco recognized the littler girl, she stood, much like the others, wide eyed but totally blind; and of the four, terror was etched most strongly across her face. He had to turn away, his eyes scanned the crowded room. At the center of the huge subterranean hall an altar-shaped globe glowed brilliantly and darkly. The seething dark-redness seemed to throb in time to the crowd's rhythmic chanting…a song that sounded chillingly familiar. However, there seemed to be something else…something else entirely. A different force he could feel coming closer, giving him clarity, giving him control again, now the source of this force appeared at the end of the room! What was it? A man? Another Racomine?

It was a lion. The Beast had arrived.

Aslan faced the crowd, whether he could see them or not Varco could not tell, but when he spoke, he seemed to fill the entire place with his voice. His words reverberated in Varco's head.

"I seek Lucy of Cair Paravel! I have followed her trail of blood from the Stone Table to here, and now I will have her back!" The robed figures standing closest to this gigantic majestic animal now drew back in fear, almost in shame. They all perhaps at that moment would have gone home right then and there and given up, but the grey-haired man rose to face him, and spoke from the stage.

"Welcome, Aslan the Great…To the Gathering of the Brethren of the One!"

Varco couldn't believe his ears; that voice! He knew that voice! It was the voice of It! This old man was It!

"I cannot tell you how long I've waited for this moment! We stand here tonight to finish what the Great White Queen started! It is time to answer, oh Great unchallenged Beast, to your successor!"

"I will tolerate this no longer!" again the lion's roaring words consumed the whole room. "You will hand over the children and you will leave! And you, old Manorflaed, you will stand trial for this treason!"

"Oh yes, yes indeed, Aslan…there will be a trial…but not mine! _Asnodeth drsschk thiensled VAAS!" _Countless years had Manorflaed waited and memorized these words. Countless years had he built this gathering, had he prepared for such a moment as this…now, with the Beast before him…that time was now!

At the grey-haired wizard's spoken command, the glowing sphere of reddish dark light rose, slowly, menacingly, till it almost touched the top of the huge chamber. The orb of the One Dark Power, fed by countless incantations and chants of the One's Faithful brethren now rose above the gathered faithful. All those long drawn-out gatherings, all the promises of a new Narnia of Darkness now began to come to bear before those gathered together. Someone near the wall began to chant, the rest quickly picked up, the hundreds of voices joined now in the familiar Chant of the One. The Orb had been powered since the beginning of time for this purpose, and this purpose alone. Now it was time.

It was time for Aslan to Die.

The Orb flashed out so brilliantly it hurt Varco's eyes, he glanced away, and spotted the four children, now cowering on the floor. The dark red light illuminated their horror-struck faces. Suddenly, a single bolt of pure seething energy protruded from the orb, and, snaking it's way through the air, made for where Aslan was standing.

"Aslan! Noooo!" Lucy was screaming…but it was too late. The power of pure darkness, fed and concentrated for so many centuries now bore down all at once on the Great Lion Himself. He met this attack with an earth-shattering roar, unlike one any of them had heard before. The twisting snack of pure reddish light drew back for an instant, a momentary hesitation, then bore into Aslan himself, striking like a serpent on it's foe. Varco could feel it's effects, he could feel that the clarity Aslan gave him was weakening…he felt It coming back...could it be? The power of the One was now completely filling the Huge expanse of the hall with pure energy. Hatred, evil, pure darkness in energy form completely encompassed Varco, the brethren, the four children, and the Lion. The reddish-purple haze flashed again in Varco's eyes; again he felt himself slipping away…this would be the last time…

A few feet away, Edmund had been twisting in his bonds this entire time, but stopped momentarily and looked around himself now. It seemed his guards were totally transfixed on the orb of energy, and its opponent Aslan. Edmund looked over to see the Racomine, now grimacing and twisting, as if fighting with himself…and dark red light was slowly illuminating his eyes…it looked to him suddenly, and with a mixture of pain and iron will twisting across its face, he reached down to his side where his rusting chainmail held…was that Susan's arrow? Slowly, as if each movement were a struggle, it broke the arrow's head off, and threw it at Edmund's feet! Then, the light blazed strong and full in his eyes, and it acknowledged him no more. Edmund slowly looked down at his feet, at the broken arrow. Slowly he covered it with his foot, then, when nobody was looking, bent down and picked it up. Cradling it in his hands, he slowly began rubbing the sharp end of the arrow tip against the ropes holding his hands. Nobody else noticed him. Everyone, even his siblings stood transfixed on the epic battle unfolding before them…a battle that Aslan was slowly but surely losing.


	14. Finale

The Beast Must Die: Chapter 14 - **FINALE**

The fight was over almost before it'd begun, and under the seething red glare of the triumphant Orb of Power, Aslan was bound hand and foot, and laid in the center of the hall. The incessant chanting of the robed crowd bore down on him, seeming to drain him. By now Varco was all but gone; the Darkness had won, and It now reigned supreme.

Manorflaed stepped forward to address the crowd. Instantly the chanting ceased and all eyes were directed to the stage on which he stood. "My loyal brothers! Victory is Ours! Tonight the Right Hand shall extinguish the Light of Narnia, and in the Eternal Darkness that follows we shall rise and conquer! Rejoice, my Brethren! Narnia is Ours!"

A sweeping array of applause, cheers, screams, and roars followed.

In the midst of the overpowering din Peter leaned closer to his siblings…he tried to whisper something encouraging, something hopeful, anything a big brother would do…nothing came. His brother and sisters could see plainly as him, under the glare of the deep red orb their king, protector, and dear friend bound and held, completely and utterly powerless. Edmund shifted uneasily, leaned in to say something to Peter, but was met with a guard's studded glove on his shoulder, and a rough shove to the floor. "Silence when the Seer is speaking!" The voice was gruff and threatening. Edmund gathered himself and huddled back toward the rest of his siblings.

The Racomine turned to face an elder and accepted an ornate ceremonial dagger with stoic reverence. He leapt from the stage into the circle surrounding The Great Lion. Dark red glow seemed to flow through him now, as if the dam had finally given way the seething dark river. Manorflaed cried out

"Bring forth the Prisoner!" At his command, all the brethren between the far wall door made way for two burly hooded figures carrying a young creature between them. Lucy was the first to recognize her

"Varina!" the Racomine looked to her, the dark red light of the room showed plainly the terror etched across her face.

"This young creature is of the same flesh and blood of our own Right Hand!" Again Manorflaed's voice commanded the crowd's attention. "Her death will be a sign that the Right Hand is completely given to our cause!"

"Varco...Varco can you hear me? Varco it's me! It's Varina" Her pleading eyes looked up at him as the guards backed away. Varco took a step closer, brandishing the dagger.

"I do not know you, young creature." It wasn't Varco's voice at all…It himself was talking.

"You're just practice." Faster than anybody could see Varco plunged the cold steel blade deep into her chest. For a moment her eyes widened, she didn't even have time to scream…only time to close her eyes…and breathe her last.

"Varina! Varina! No! Oh no!" Lucy buried her head in her hands, falling to the floor. Peter lost it right there, kicking, fighting, biting at his captor, one hooded guard reached over, and with a quick fist to the back of his head, Peter the Great King of Narnia joined his little sister unconscious on the floor.

Varco cleaned the blood off the blade, now turning to Aslan. "Your time has come, Beast!" The red glare in his eyes surged now in bloodthirsty power. Aslan looked up at him, the force of a thousand chanting minds bearing down on his consciousness… still, with great effort; he slowly raised his head…enough to look Varco in the eye.

"I know you're not dead, Varco, my child." His voice, though labored and struggling, still held so much love and power.

"I forgive you."

Suddenly, drawing in a sudden breath, Aslan summoned all his might, all his strength, everything he had left he poured into a final, powerful, defiant roar. It reverberated through the hall, shook the cave to its very foundations, cut through the air, through the darkness, through even It itself.

Perhaps it was the roar, perhaps it was that Varco had just seen It kill his friend, perhaps it was just an oversight on the Seer's part, nobody may really know. On the brink of fading away to nothingness, suddenly Varco felt a surge run through him, a cleansing flood through his entire body, and when he opened his eyes, for a split second, It was no longer in control. Just a split second… but that was all the time he needed. Varco gripped the dagger hard, and drove it into his chest.

_What are you doing! You Fool! YOU FOOL! _It was screaming at him, beating at his mind…Varco didn't care. The pain gave him enough focus to force It aside…just long enough…Varco didn't care anymore. He knew who the Beast truly was now. He knew who deserved judgment…Varco knew it: The Beast Must Die…but why, why did the Beast have to be him?

Edmund, in the midst of this distraction, suddenly dropped to the floor, and dug ferociously in his pocked for the flint, and some dry hay. Diving off the stage to the floor he struck the flint hard against the stone floor, sending a shower of sparks upon his fistful of dry hay. It ignited, flickered, and grew to a fresh flame as he dug his handful of fire into the nearest cloth cloak. By the time the hooded figure realized his cloak was caught he was very nearly completely engulfed. With a panicked scream he ran, jumped, rolled, and, in the crowded room, spread his flame to his brethren…until soon sickly black smoke filled the room, flames and shadows danced erratically everywhere, and deafening chaos reigned. Edmund gathered his courage, and made for the center of the flaming mayhem, toward the bound Lion. How he made it he could never say, but soon he was standing before Aslan, with Susan's arrowhead in his hand. And with a few hard stabs, he made quick work of Aslan's bindings. The Lion rose to his full height, and called to Edmund "Quickly, Brave Lad! Onto my Back!" Edmund did so, and held on for dear life as Aslan leapt to the stage, and gathered up the other Pevensies. As they clambered up, Edmund looked out over the crowd. Almost everyone's hoods and cloaks were ablaze they ran, screamed, rolled, cried…and slowly burned. Manorflaed was nowhere to be seen…but there, in the Centre! There was Varco!

Varco, with the dagger hilt still buried in his torso, bent down to Varina's nearby body. In the middle of the smoke and fire and chaos he knelt to shelter her from the crazed crowd. As the cruel mad world slowly dimmed around him, Varco looked into poor Varina's glazed eyes…and with his last strength he closed her eyes gently, and whispered ever so softly.

"I'm sorry…I'm so, so sorry."

With that he fell, dead at last, even in death sheltering her from the chaos and fire that now engulfed them.

The last Pevensie was secured on Aslan's back, and soon they were at the door to the grand cave. As the Great Lion bounded towards the opening, the sounds slowly faded and the eerie light of the flames darkened, until they were suddenly in open night under a full Narnian moon. The cool sweet breeze revived Peter, and he looked up at his Brother, then his King, and his sisters, who were now also coming around. Finally, Peter said what Edmund had been waiting his entire life to hear.   
"You did well, Ed. Very well done, brother." Lucy yawned and looked up at them.

"Is it over, Peter? Is it done?"

"Indeed it is, my Child." Aslan answered her.

"Indeed" mused Edmund quietly. "The Beast is dead."


End file.
